


Richie Tozier on coming out and losing the love of his life

by softcoregore



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: :( eddie and stan are still dead, All ships are only mentioned briefly!, Canon Compliant, Interview, Multi, Out Richie Tozier, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24082108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softcoregore/pseuds/softcoregore
Summary: Exclusive Gay Times Magazine interview with Richie Tozier since his explosive comedy special following his disappearance. We speak to him about loss, coming out and having a found family.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier & Everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	Richie Tozier on coming out and losing the love of his life

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a quick fic! It’s not great, I wrote it in like an hour or two and I didn’t proof read it, but I never write canon compliant fics so !
> 
> Enjoy, E.

By John McGaulry, Feb. 27, 2017.

I sit down opposite Richie Tozier in his modern, wackily decorated Manhattan apartment. Behind his head, I lock eyes with a 6ft print of the “Born in the USA” album cover, however this version is depicted in a comic-book style. 

Richie Tozier had fallen off the radar in 2016, after bombing one of his comedy tour dates. No-one had heard from him in months until nearly a year later, when he resurfaced with a Netflix special - with all of the proceeds going to a charity set up in honor of a gay man, Adrian Mellon, who was apparently murdered in Derry, Maine, around the same time Tozier had gone quiet.

His comedy special quickly shed a light on it, equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenchingly honest. He detailed everything, from how his jokes used to be ghost written (“Apparently my management decided my 14th Your Mom joke of the minute didn’t cut it - which I find hilarious considering my jokes became sexist attacks on a girlfriend I never had.”), how he finally accepted he was gay (“You see, everyone thinks I must be a 40 year old gay virgin, when in reality I sucked just as much dick as your mom, and like her, I regretted every minute.”), his new ensemble of celebrity friends, and how his childhood friend he was secretly in love with was murdered by the same man Adrian Mellon was killed by. 

It was a rollercoaster for all, but for those already familiar with “Trashmouth”’s comedy, you could see the markable change in his whole persona. Although he’d always been considered funny, his jokes followed the same lines as Louis C.K.’s, Donald Glover’sand Ricky Gervais’ - with a constant offensive undertone, often sexist and homophobic.

Now, it is clear that his “ghostwriters” were holding him back from an audience that recognised his true comedy, only offensive towards himself. Since the comedy special, his audience has rapidly changed from straight men in their 40s who still think consent is up for debate, to a younger, millennial and Gen-Z, queer audience, many of whom related to his new set. Not to say his audience was exclusive - his brutal honestly (and occasional, weirdly endearing mom jokes) had attracted a new audience of all ages.

Now I sat in his living-room, for a Gay Time Magazine exclusive, preparing for Tozier’s first interview since 2016. He had been nothing but a graceful guest as I had set up my dictaphone and the photographer had taken some initial shots for the article, making light hearted jokes to ease our nervousness. It wasn’t my first celebrity interview, but it was still a momentous occasion.

** Hi, Richie. **

Hi, John! [laughs] This feels weirdly intimate so I promise I’m not laughing at you. If I say anything inappropriate, you can just “beep beep” at me, it’s what my friends do.

** Don’t worry, I’m sure I won’t need to! Thank you for having us for your first interview. **

Oh you’re welcome! I am probably just as nervous as you are, but then I remember my big “gay” secret is already out there so I really have nothing to lose.

**Speaking about your “big gay secret”, I’m going to dive into the deep-end. What made you want to come out?**

I guess I’ll start off at the beginning, cause it’s kind of a long story. When I was a kid, like 13 or whatever, I knew I was Gay, like big capital G gay. I still made your mom jokes and I’m pretty sure I once claimed I lost my virginity at 12, but the truth was I was massively gay and in love with this kid, one of my best friends. I’m paraphrasing a little because I’m sure it would be boring as fuck hearing about how I realised I was in love with him whilst he read his Invader Zim comics or whatever [laughs]. Sure, I didn’t come out as a kid because It was the 80s and there was assholes who would kill you if you even looked at a boy wrong, and I’ve never been a brave person.   
  
  


Anyway, as kids we went through some fucked up shit. Derry, our town, had like hundreds of kids go missing and a history of murder. I hate talking about it but it caused a lot of trauma for everyone living there, and pretty much everyone who leaves blocks out that part of their lives. And I think I associated my big gay revelation with the horror of that place that I became so ashamed of myself, I hid that part of myself. I mean, I still fucked my fair share of men, but it didn’t mean I was happy about it.

But then I got a call in 2016, telling me I needed to go back home, and I did, and I think it unlocked all the trauma in my brain, I think being there helped me work through my feelings. I realised there was nothing wrong with me, and I’m nothing but a coward if I’m ashamed of myself. One of the bravest people I knew died, and I guess that helped too. That is way to brief but I’ve literally been talking for the last 5 minutes.  
  
  


Anyway, then I hid away and wrote a comedy special and here we are!

** Ah yes, your special! How nerve-wracking was that for you? As a queer person myself, I know how hard coming out is - was your special the first time you’d ever come out? **

Actually, yes! I know most people expect that I would’ve told family or friends first, but my parent’s don’t really care for me, I haven’t spoken to them in [takes a break, sighs] in, uh, years. My real family are my friends from my hometown, but telling them felt too hard. I didn’t know how to say it, I guess. We’d lost two of our “group” in 2016, and telling them directly, personally, would’ve just made the loss so, [he gestures to me, he seems unable to put his thoughts into words].

** It’s okay, I understand. Sometimes it’s easier to say it lightly to a broad audience than sincerely to your friends. **

Yes! Sorry, I haven’t really spoken about this before, apart from when I told my therapist, and I was truly disgusting then, like slobbery and crying and shit so I don’t know how to word it eloquently, I guess. Trashmouth holds true.

But yes, it was easier to say it to the massive audience - my friend’s were front-row though - and deal with a mass reaction, than an individual reaction. Not saying that I thought they would take it badly, they’re the best fuckin’ people out there, and they definitely knew, or they knew I was in love with Eddie at least. And they were the best after the show, we had a big group hug, we all cried. Funnily enough, two of them actually ended up getting together and we found out at my show too! 

** Are you talking about William Denbrough and Michael Hanlon? **

Yes! I don’t know why I’m surprised you know, they’re grossly affectionate on social media. It’s also funny to hear people call them by their full names, it makes me feel like we’re still in high school and they got in shit or something.

** How was high school for you? It’s surprising to find out such a high profile group of people all went to the same high school in such a small town.  **

_ For those unaware, Richie’s childhood friends consisted of William Denbrough, Michael Hanlon, Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom, Stan Uris and Edward Kaspbrak. The latter two both passed away in 2016. _

I think high school was the best time of my life. I didn’t remember it till 2016, but looking back, it was the happiest I’ve ever been. We called our friend group, “The Loser’s Club”, and we even had a den that Ben built in the summer - explains how he became an architect. I don’t really know how we all became famous, it was like a fluke or something. I mean... [pauses] Eddie and Stan weren’t famous, but I don’t think they ever would’ve wanted to be. And Mike only became famous after our ‘reunion’ [he says reunion with air-quotes].

Before we met up again, he was a librarian, he even lived in this old dusty clock tower. Apparently people really love podcasts though, cause he’s killin’ it right now. I’m pretty sure he and Bill have some intricate book planned, so if that happens hopefully it’s the first book of his that actually has a good ending [laughs].

** What about Beverly? **

Oh, Bev is one of the coolest people I know. She’s like tough as shit. Fuck Tom Rogan by the way, he deserved to get the shit beaten out of him. But yeah, she is like one of my favourite people ever. I know she has an interview lined up now all the court stuff is done, so I’m not gonna spill any of her secrets, but she is the only woman I will probably ever be in love with, even though her and Ben are happily living in a Upper East Side penthouse with their children-who-are-actually-dogs.

** Sorry, this may be sensitive, but I wanted to ask about Stan and Eddie. You don’t have to answer, but how are you doing? **

No, it’s okay. I knew someone would ask. There isn’t a day that I don’t miss them. I was never in love with Stan, and I hadn’t seen him since high school, but now I remember him, I miss him everyday. He was the only other Jewish kid my age in our hometown, so his family always used to invite me over for dinner. I think they didn’t like me because I was clearly uninterested in religion, but he felt like a brother to me because of it. I guess he was the closest thing I had to family, cause my parents didn’t really want me. His wife, Patty, lives up here now actually, near Albany. She had family in Atlanta but none of them knew Stan like we did. 

She’s also one of the coolest people I know. She stays at my apartment quite a bit when she visits because I’m the only single one, and sometimes we just stay up for hours talking about Stan, or films, or music. She loves Star Wars and Star Trek cause she’s cool like that. If I was straight I’m sure she’d be like, my biggest crush ever, so I get why Stan married her.

** And Eddie? **

Oh, I am sure I will never love anyone ever again. [laughs]. Sorry! That’s literally the most depressing thing I’ve ever said. I know you expected jokes and now here I am bringing down the mood. 

No, I joke but he genuinely was the first and only man I’ve ever fallen in love with. Okay, when I was younger I had a crush on Big Bill Denbrough but I can guarantee every one of the Losers did too, even Ben. But, yeah. Eddie was like this annoying kid who would carry around 100 pill bottles that his psycho mom gave him, and he would bitch at every little thing I did, but he was also hilarious, and he was so understanding about all this shit. Like he wouldn’t be upfront and say “Aw Richie I’m here for you”, but he’d be there for me in our own way. He was the only one who would entertain me annoying everyone, and he was the only one who insulted me back twice as hard.

But he was also incredibly honest with me. I remember once, in high school, he realised he wasn’t actually allergic to fuckin’ strawberries or whatever it was that his mom told him he was allergic to, and he told me whilst we were sat by the creek. But he was so openly terrified of what the fuck else she might’ve lied about. And I guess I liked that, little closeted me, that someone could be that frickin’ raw in front of me, even though normally we annoy the shit out of each other. He hadn’t really changed as an adult. 

** Your friends, especially Stan and Eddie, all sound great.  **

Yeah, yeah they are. I imagine we’ll all be 60 in the same suburban neighbourhood or something, eating dinner at each others houses every other day of the week. Hell, maybe I’ll have found someone and Patty will have found someone and we’ll all go in one big rotation.

** That sounds beautiful. So, what are your plans for the future? **

Okay! This is the part my publicist emphasised I don’t fuck up so I better try and promote the shit out of this shit. That sounds like I am being forced to do this stuff, so Kay I am sorry for making you sound like a bitch. [he turns to me and puts on a John Mulaney voice] My publicist is a bitch and I like her so much.

Sorry, voices are genuinely my favourite thing, but I tried not to do them in this interview because I knew it would be Serious Richie time.

** No, it’s okay! I remember how good you were on SNL! **

That is an amazing segue that you didn’t even plan! Okay, so the first Saturday of March, I am hosting Saturday Night Live! Lorne Michaels loves me, so I also got to pick the musical guest, which never happens. Anyway, the musical guest will be Father John Misty, which is fun - I believe he will be performing two new singles? [I can’t confirm this so he carries on]

I also have a comedy tour coming up, all across North America, of which I lovingly titled, I Love Your Dad. I wanted there to be a different verb but my management couldn’t sign off on it. I would say the proceeds from this are going to the same charity as my Netflix special but I need the money so the money I make will go to me, unfortunately. I do know that all the sales of the merchandise and DVD of the tour, whenever that gets released, will go towards local LGBT charities & charities for victims of domestic violence for each tour date.

You will probably also be able to catch me on Mike’s podcast at some point, but I don’t know when. 

** Well, I will look forward to listening to that! Is there anything your friends are doing that you want to promote? **

That is a good point, I think Bev would kill me if I didn’t support her new Spring Summer 2018 collection, which I believe will be showcased at all the global Fashion Weeks! Ben probably has a new building being made but I don’t know how to promote that. I do know that Bill and Mike are writing a book, so that will be out when it’s out. Also obviously listen to Mike’s podcast. It’s equal parts book knowledge and agony aunt and I love it. I think that’s it! Thank you for listening to me spill my guts in a very unfunny way, John!

** No, thank you! **

_Richie’s SNL special will air March 4th on NBC. Catch him on his social media, @trashtozier. Catch our writer on his social media, @johnmcg and our photographer @dhags._

**Author's Note:**

> leave some comments and some kudos if ya like!


End file.
